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Match official Michael Salisbury had barely blown the full-time whistle to seal Everton's dramatic late win over Crystal Palace when the Merseyside outfit updated the bio on their X account.

Underneath the club's famous badge appeared a short phrase: England Needs Grealish.

It's nearly a year since Jack Grealish last wore a England shirt in a 3-1 international win over Finland in Helsinki under interim manager Lee Carsley.

And it will be some time before the 30-year-old gets the chance to represent his national team again after being omitted from Thomas Tuchel's latest squad for a friendly against the Welsh next midweek, followed by a qualifying match in the Baltic nation on 14 October.

But one thing remains crystal clear: the playmaker is doing all in his power to force his way into the manager's plans for next summer's World Cup.

Having delivered four assists in his initial half-dozen Premier League appearances for the Blues, Grealish netted the late winner to seal his side's comeback victory after the Palace keeper had saved the striker from close quarters.

Recorded at 92 minutes and 21 seconds, it was Everton's latest home league winning goal since spring 2022 against the Magpies - deep into added time.

"Do you know what's mad?" remarked Grealish, speaking to Sky Sports after the game.

"The last games we've played here we've been tied and I've said to myself in the 85th minute, 'come on Jack, go and score. Imagine if you scored now'.

"I said it against Villa, and I didn't score. I repeated it against West Ham and I couldn't convert.

"This time, I really thought the same thing again and I scored. I sprinted towards where my parents were, so it was special."

• Late Grealish strike for Everton ends Crystal Palace unbeaten run
• 'Better than I thought' - the manager praises unpredictable the attacker after win

'England omission not a big deal'

The weekend's game was the midfielder's last for three weeks - having just managed to string together six successive Premier League starts for the first time in nearly two and a half years.

He is ineligible to face his owning team City when Everton return to action after the international break on 18 October.

There are over eight months before the kickoff of the global tournament. Will Grealish be included on the England plane?

"You know what?" he told the radio station after the Palace game, "it's not as deep as everyone says."

"At the end of the day, you want to play for the England side but others are performing strongly in my role. I'm doing well also, but the people picked last month did exceptionally in the two games so I accept that with me.

"The coach makes the choices and I completely understand that."

He continued: "My priority is playing for this club because that's who put their trust in me and believed in me, so I'm thoroughly loving it here."

But, former England striker the legendary forward told BBC Sport that the player's performances for Everton will be giving Tuchel a "headache".

"The only thing for him is keep doing what he is doing, obviously getting a winner today," said Rooney, who scored 53 goals in 120 appearances for England.

"I believe if he keeps doing that he will be there or thereabouts come the summer.

"Should he feature, his talent will show, so I'm sure he'll be posing the national coach a headache."

'Johnny-on-the-spot'

The England manager maintains the opportunity exists for Grealish, who has 39 caps and four goals for his country, in terms of the global competition next season.

"There is always a way back into the squad," the England boss stated on last week.

"He is aware that I see how influential he is for the team and that he is on his way to be the best version of himself."

In Grealish's seven Premier League games since joining on a season-long loan from City, he has logged significant game time, had multiple contributions, set up 17 chances and had 10 shots.

"Jack's done great again," remarked manager David Moyes after his side's first win since late August.

"I've been pushing him to get goals. He is always in the right place.

"Iliman Ndiaye's cross was incredible and Beto should have buried it. But Jack is positioned well to get the goal."

Moyes disclosed Grealish had skipped training during the week because of a minor injury, adding: "He has had to miss the occasional session of training but he is doing a many good things."

The midfielder was not the sole individual left out from Tuchel's England squad who managed to score this round of fixtures.

Marcus Rashford scored once more for Barcelona - although they were beaten four-one at their opponents - while the midfielder scored in Manchester United 2-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday.